The present invention relates to an articulated fastening element for use on a workbench, a machine bed, a vacuum table or the like.
Currently, machines are known for machining, the cutting of wood or for other purposes, these machines being equipped with vacuum tables. These tables are grooved with a predetermined pitch and a rubber seal inserted into the grooves of the table enables an area to be defined on which a workpiece is held in place by means of vacuum through holes in the table. The major drawback of the device is that it does not enable the workpiece to be raised up, and therefore some types of work are not possible such as, for example, the drilling of the workpiece.
A sealing system in the form of a grid or grid pattern, described in document DE-2,258,007, is also known. It is made of rubber and undergoes compression when the workpiece is sucked down. This device therefore does not allow a workpiece to be raised accurately to a predetermined level, and therefore some types of work are not allowed. In addition, it is not articulated nor can it be matched to the shape of a workpiece.
Moreover, it is known to raise the height of the workpiece, while ensuring sealing, by means of templates.
However, these templates require labor in order to be produced and installed, and they are therefore costly. In addition, a template corresponds to a fixed workpiece profile and it is necessary to produce a template for each new type of workpiece, which leads to significant production and material costs and to storage problems.